Last Mile News

The US last-mile market has become fragmented, benefiting shippers from both a cost and capacity perspective.

Booming e-commerce and expectations for faster end-to-end delivery are still reconfiguring distribution networks.

The action, announced last week, is likely to result in US e-commerce brands shifting their fulfillment back to the US or switching to fulfillment providers in Asia, sources have told the Journal of Commerce.

The facility’s launch customer is known to be Amazon, which will use the strategically located warehouse to provide fulfilment services across the region.

The acquisition of Mexican package company Estafeta gives UPS a full-fledged ground operation in Mexico that can link to its cross-border and global services.

US package shippers are shifting from air to ground and from premium-priced to deferred services, UPS says, boosting its SurePost volumes by 10%.

FedEx and UPS will still play a role in residential deliveries, depending on the profitability of those volumes.

UPS and FedEx are delivering more packages on time this holiday season, helped by no shortage of capacity in the modes that feed their networks, while Amazon, Walmart and others build out delivery capabilities.

US importers have finally cleared out most of the inventory overhang that kept their warehouses at capacity and created bottlenecks in their supply chains.

A number of multistory warehouses are planned for urban areas around the US as developers say dependable, same-day delivery in congested cities outweighs the higher costs involved in constructing two- to five-story structures.

Expansion moves by Lineage Logistics and Ryder System underscore continuing demand for warehousing and distribution space even in a period of low freight demand and slow economic growth.

The deal comes on the heels of other acquisitions and new services launched this week at several logistics and transportation providers, all aimed at expanding their ability to deliver end-to-end global fulfillment services.

The CMA CGM subsidiary’s latest acquisition will significantly increase its presence in South Asia that is growing in importance as supply chain routes shift across the region.

Maersk has invested $10.5 billion in its logistics and services business to date, but results are falling behind plan after last year’s volumes evaporated.

A challenging operating environment pulled down revenue and earnings at DHL, but the Germany-based integrator remains in a highly profitable position ahead of an uncertain second half.

After three years of operating at full capacity, warehouses and distribution centers outside the Los Angeles-Long Beach port complex are gaining space by shedding excess inventory, and a peak season that some say will be non-existent is not expected to disrupt that newfound fluidity.

Flexport expects both enterprise customers and small merchants to tap into the last-mile and fulfillment network it acquired with Shopify Logistics.

Most of the transportation job losses reported for February were due to seasonal cuts rather than economic contraction, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Transportation providers of all sizes, from Maersk to Pitt Ohio, are searching for last-mile delivery options as customer and consumer demand evolves.

The container shipping industry’s profit margins are easing, but the appetite for acquisitions — from air cargo units to last-mile delivery logistics — isn’t letting up, writes Journal of Commerce Executive Editor Mark Szakonyi.

The Port of Houston, citing technology problems, is postponing the start date of a new fee that would penalize shippers who don’t retrieve import containers after the allowable free time.

FourKites has partnered with e-commerce technology specialist Narvar to link predictive freight visibility with post-purchase solutions for retailers and brands aspiring to fulfill orders online.

CMA CGM has increased its e-commerce capability in Europe with an acquisition that targets end-to-end control of goods within its network.

International air freight and last-mile delivery saw the fastest revenue growth in the transportation sector last year, while industrial transportation suffered.

project44 continues its active 2021 with the $255 million acquisition of last-mile visibility platform Convey, the Chicago-based company’s largest purchase to date.

Maersk’s acquisition of Visible Supply Chain Management last week adds nine fulfillment centers to its distribution network, allowing it to reach 95 percent of the US direct-to-consumer market within 48 hours.

The FRONTdoor Collective will provide franchised last-mile options to providers, logistics providers, and shippers looking to expand or build out last-mile capabilities.

Retailers and logistics providers are utilizing technology offerings from such providers as Bringg to expand and manage last-mile delivery options.

Supply chain optimization firms Locus and Shippo each received $50 million in new funding, while 3PL Redwood Logistics acquired two parcel companies and merged them into a new last-mile division.

The acquisition of CLW Delivery gives expedited trucking operator Forward Air custom final-mile delivery services and new territory, as its LTL and final-mile businesses converge.

A four-year-old logistics technology platform founded in India sees itself as the digital connective thread between the country’s long-haul freight market and the disorganized urban delivery sector.